Half-Life: Alyx simultaneously raised the standards of what gamers expect from virtual reality titles and turned Valve into a newfound monolith in the VR games industry. The company proved that it could transform its flagship first-person shooter series into an enthralling VR experience to complement its Valve Index Headset. Plus, recent chatter about a mysterious new (and potentially VR) release, allegedly dubbed Citadel, has suggested that Valve is just getting started in the space. That raises the question, will Half-Life 3 eventually be released in VR?
The long-awaited installment of the sci-fi series has been in limbo for well over a decade, but the release of Half-Life: Alyx gave fans hope Valve hasn't shelved the franchise entirely. In 2017, it was confirmed that Half-Life 2: Episode 3 was being developed at one point in time, but it was scrapped, and former Valve writer Marc Laidlaw published its synopsis. While there hasn't been a word about Half-Life 3 since Valve's new commitment to VR, Half-Life: Alyx's cliffhanger ending suggests the escapades of the series protagonist, Gordon Freeman, are far from over.
[Warning: Spoilers For Half-Life: Alyx below.]
The final scene of Half-Life: Alyx flips the script of how the Half-Life 2: Episode 2 concluded. Alyx Vance is transported to the future by the mysterious G-Man just in time to save her father, Eli, from dying at the hands of a Combine Advisor. Alyx then vanishes, and players take the perspective of Gordon for the first time in the title. Eli then hands Gordon his iconic crowbar and tells him, "We've got work to do," which heavily teases that the following installment of the series will involve a mission to rescue Alyx.
Will Half-Life 3 Be In VR?
Valve hasn't said anything about how it plans to continue the series, but it was heavily implied that players would take control of Gordon in VR and help Eli save Alyx in what could be Half-Life 3 or Half-Life: Alyx 2. This would be the natural progression of where the franchise could go after the events of Valve's latest release. But will that mean one of the most anticipated games of all time will be only playable in VR?
The answer is still unclear, but seeing how Valve released Half-Life: Alyx exclusively for VR, that would appear to be the case for now. The headsets and PC needed to run games like Half-Life: Alyx can cost hundreds and is still too expensive for most gamers at the moment. Still, there's hope that Valve could take a different approach to let as many people as possible play the next chapter of its beloved sci-fi adventure.
Citadel is reportedly being developed as both a VR and traditional PC title, which means that might be the case for Half-Life 3. However, Valve co-founder and president Gabe Newell has also been heralding the imminent release of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which would allow games to interpret users' neural activity to either serve as alternative controls or as a way to complement VR. Valve may use the launch of Half-Life 3 to introduce this leap in gaming technology, like it did with Half-Life: Alyx and VR. Advancements like that could still be years and even decades away from consumer markets. Still, seeing how Valve has used the Half-Life series to push the technological envelope in the past, VR will likely play a pivotal role in the franchise's future.